I don’t think I’m alone in this thinking, so I don’t imagine this will sound crazy to you (and if it does, you might be in the wrong place!). Here’s the thing… I honestly believe that a good pair of shoes will change how you feel about yourself.
<cue gasp>
Now that we’re on the same page, let me tell you the story that prompted this post. A friend recently asked me if a certain pair of shoes she loves would look good with an outfit she wanted to wear.
My response? A pair of shoes never has to “match”. As long as they feel good – make you feel confident – then they will go with anything.
So how do we achieve this blissed out level of shoe confidence, you might ask? Here are my top six gems for turning your shoes into pillars of self-assurance.
ONE: See the perfect pair across a crowded room? Want them? Have no idea what you’ll wear them with but you’re looking at them like they’re a piece of art? BUY THEM. These shoes will make you happy for years to come. I promise.
TWO: Learn to dress yourself backwards. Start with deciding which shoes you want to wear first and then pick out the outfit that will go with them. There’s nothing more ego-deflating than putting on too-long pants and picking a shoe that will cause said pants to drag along the floor. Yuck. Pick your shoes first and I guarantee that you’ll start becoming more creative with your outfits.
THREE: If the first thing you say about a shoe when you try it on is, “It’s comfortable” then it’s not the shoe for you. There are TONS of comfortable shoes out there that will still make you feel pretty. Find those. Don’t settle. This is especially true for everyday shoes because you’ll wear them all the time. There’s no reason you can’t have it all.
FOUR: Shoes that hurt suck. Don’t let your perfect pair become a nightmare, something that you’ll ultimately end up hating. Whenever I wear a new pair of shoes, I use 3M Transpore 1-inch wide medical tape (not the paper kind!!) on my blister-prone areas. This stuff is way better than band aids, can hardly be seen and will help you during the shoe break-in phase. I **always** carry a role with me in my purse.
FIVE: Keep your shoes close. If you can’t try them on with your outfits, then what’s the point? Of course, keep your everyday, point a-to-b shoes and boots by the door because you know these guys intimately (refer to point six below). What I’m saying is that you should keep your statement shoes close at hand to where you dress. If you can see them, you’ll think about them, and you’ll wear them. For these shoes, I keep a package of gentle baby wipes in my closet so I can wipe off the soles and any scuffs when I get home. Hey, I don’t want to be trudging dirt through my bedroom any more than you do!
SIX: Finally – to my point about everyday shoes – do have a few pairs of basic black or brown that you know will go with anything. But everything above still applies. You need to love them, feel confident wearing them, know which you’ll wear before you get dressed and above all, take care of your feet. Eventually, you may even become more experimental and keep some fun styles on hand even for trips to the grocery store. In my shoe closet. Leopard print is as good as black any day 🙂
Do you have another shoe-do that you want to share? Please leave a comment below!!
Happy walking!
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